Dental FAQs

Dental Fear and Anxiety FAQs

Here are some of the FAQ we’ve received from our patients. 

Many people have strong fears associated with dental care that makes it hard for them to get their work done. Other patients need a lot of work and do not want to have to come for many visits. They want to get it done in the fewest visits possible. In either case, being sedated makes the patients unaware of what is going on and they can get through their appointments with ease and comfort.
Anyone who wants to have dental work done in a state of comfort and relaxation is a candidate for sedation dentistry. Here are some examples of pat People who have: High Fear Had traumatic dental experiences Difficulty getting numb A bad gag reflex Very sensitive teeth Limited time to complete their dental care Complex dental problems People who … Hate needles and shots! Hate the noises, smells and tastes associated with dental care Are afraid or embarrassed about their teeth Disabilities that preclude them from receiving traditional dental services
Oral conscious sedation dentistry works by taking a pill that relaxes you and puts you in a twilight state of consciousness. You alternate between being conscious and drifting off to sleep. And best of all, most people have very little if any memory of the entire dental visit. When you arrive in our office, you will be escorted into the sleep room, covered with a thick, warm blanket and placed on a monitor to watch your vital signs. After you are comfortable, the staff at Dental Care will take care of your dental needs. Then, when your treatment is completed your companion will return you home to finish your relaxing sleep.
With IV sedation our board certified dental anesthesiologist places a small IV in your arm. This allows the doctor to inject the anesthesia medicines that put you to sleep. Just like in a medical procedure, you will be sound asleep the entire time and safely monitored by our team. You are comfortable, pain free and you will have no memory of your dental visit.

No. You will feel nothing! 

Yes, one of our team is always with you and your vital signs are monitored during the entire visit. You are never alone.
With both oral conscious sedation (pill) and IV sedation you will need someone to drive you to our office and home again. They will also need to stay with you for several hours because even though you might feel awake you will be drowsy and if left alone might slip and fall.
You have nothing to eat or drink from midnight on the day prior to your visits. If you take routine medicines you MUST discuss this with the doctor at your consultation visit. Different medicines can interact with each other and it is important that we know anything you take. That includes all vitamins, mineral and herbal supplements of any kind and especially nicotine (in tobacco products) and caffeine (in tea or coffee). Grapefruit juice is to be avoided as well since it contains chemicals that interfere with sedation and many other medicines. You will be brought to the office by your companion who will receive their instructions as well. They don’t have to stay at the office for the entire time but they will need to give us a phone number so we can call them to come and pick you up when your appointment is complete.
You will be escorted from the office directly home by your companion who must seat belt you into your car and take you into your home and get you comfortable and settled to sleep and rest for the balance of the day. You cannot be left alone because you will still be sleepy for several hours and might slip and fall if unattended. It is very important that you drink lots of water or fruit juice and when any numbness is gone, soft and easy to digest foods are suggested. We will review the post operative instructions with your companion before you leave the office.

The medicines that we use for oral conscious sedation and IV sedation are designed to make you comfortable and not aware of your environment.  As such you cannot drive a car, operate machinery, stand on a ladder, ride a bicycle or do any activity that requires fully conscious awareness or judgment until the next day after sedation dentistry. That includes making important business or personal decisions. You will need to be accompanied to and from the office directly home where you will spend the remainder of the day sleeping and letting the sedation medicines pass out of your system.

You must refrain from eating or drinking after midnight the day before other than taking any routine medication.  (This will be gone over in detail at your consultation visit prior to any sedation.)  When you arrive at the office you will be given medication and escorted to the dental room where you will be seated and made comfortable with a soft blanket and placed on a medical pulse oximeter to monitor your vital signs. When you are at a comfortable state, we will take care of your dental needs.  When the dental work is completed you will be awakened so that your companion can take you home.

 

After experiencing sedation dentistry most of our patients say something like, “That was so amazing.  If I knew it would be so easy, I would have done it years ago.”  All of your work can be done with sedation if you prefer.  But we find that many of our patients eventually start to feel so much more comfortable that they feel great about having subsequent visits completed without sedation.

The medicines that we use for sedation are designed to make you comfortable and not aware of your environment. As such you cannot drive a car, operate machinery, stand on a ladder, ride a bicycle or any activity that requires fully conscious awareness or judgment until the next day after sedation dentistry. That includes making important business or personal decisions. You will need to be accompanied to and from the office directly home where you will spend the remainder of the day sleeping and letting the sedation medicines pass out of your system.
When they return to the office, after the first visit for follow up care most of our patients say something like, “That was so amazing. If I knew it would be so easy, I would have done it years ago.” All of your work can be done with sedation if that is what you prefer. But we will say that many of our patients feel so much better after the first visit that they feel great about having subsequent visits done without sedation. That is of course entirely up to you.

If you have questions about how Dental Care of Stamford can help you please contact us